Type 1 Six Bizarre Facts

–The incidence of Type 1 diabetes is higher in those of higher socio-economic status. So the higher your family’s income, education and occupational status, the more likely you are to develop type 1 diabetes.

–The prevalence of type 1 diabetes is much higher in white people than other ethnic groups.

–The earliest record of diabetes is found in the Ebers papyrus and dates back to 1500BC. It contains recipes for potions that remove the urine that runs too frequently. I do wonder if they included cinnamon or okra 🙂

–Thank heavens for ketostix! Diagnosing diabetes in the ancient world would be up there with “world’s worst jobs”, ancient doctors would taste urine from suspected sufferers to determine if it was sweet.

–A recent University of Pittsburgh study showed that those diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after the age of 8 years had lower levels of brain activity later in life than those diagnosed before the age of 8 years.

–A clear distinction between type 1 and type 2 diabetes first appeared in The Lancet in 1938, in an article by Sir Harold Himsworth titled ““Diabetes mellitus: its differentiation into insulin-sensitive and insulin-insensitive types”.

Do you know any other interesting/weird/little known facts about diabetes? Please let us know by sharing a comment.